Join thousands of people across Great Britain and Ireland who will be trying out volunteering for the first time as part of The King’s Coronation celebrations.
For this year's coronation weekend, the Royal Household is encouraging everyone to use the time to take a dive into the world of volunteering.
Rotary Great Britain & Ireland is joining a host of other non-profit organisations in getting behind this initiative and supporting The Big Help Out.
Culminating on Monday 8th May, The Big Help Out will give people across the country the opportunity to try volunteering and make a difference in their community.
The Big Help Out is all about getting communities together to lend a hand and make a difference. We have provided a suggested set of activities for Rotary clubs to participate in, however, there is no reason why The Big Help Out can't be used as a way to engage volunteers in existing plans or projects your club is hosting.
If you have a local park or community garden that could use a bit of love, join your community there for a day of turning your nearest green space into the perfect place to relax and enjoy nature. Whether it be painting fences, building new benches, planting a variety of new trees or removing graffiti and litter, there are countless practical ways you can get people involved and create a green space your local community can be proud of.
Whether it be a beach, lake, pond or canal, The Big Help Out presents an opportunity for you to bring people together, get their wellies on and make important improvements to your local water feature. Activities could include picking litter out the water, planting native plants on the riverside or building a living shoreline. The day could also present the opportunity to educate your community about more environmentally friendly ways of disposing waste.
There would be few better ways to mark this momentous occasion than supporting the environment, a cause King Charles III is particularly passionate about. Find a fertile patch of land, supply your community with seeds and host a day of planting a variety of different plants that you will get to watch bloom over time into a beautiful legacy garden.
Once you have found an area perfect for planting and have supplied an adequate amount of seeds and digging equipment, this will be the perfect opportunity to introduce some new flowers and trees to a local area. For an idea of how to take on a project like this you may want to take inspiration from the Billion Seed Challenge, a similar event Rotary supported in 2021.
One you have purchased a good supply of bin bags, litter pickers and gloves, it should be easy to get your whole community involved for a day of clearing litter from your streets, gardens, parks or beaches. No matter where in Great Britain and Ireland, whether it be in the city or the countryside, you live you should be able to take part. For inspiration, see this Rotary club who won a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service last year for their efforts.
There are countless ways you can bring your community together to support local wildlife. This could include digging together to make a new pond, building a bug hotel, putting up bird and squirrel boxes or planting a wildflower garden to attract butterflies. When you decide on what kind of wildlife conservation project(s) you want to undertake, start contacting local suppliers or wildlife trusts to get everything you will need!
Once you have chosen an event, start planning for it and getting the word out in your community as soon as you can - the further ahead we start pushing The Big Help Out, the more people will be ready to volunteer!
The Big Help Out is all about getting communities together to lend a hand and make a difference. We have provided a suggested set of activities for Rotary clubs to participate in, however, there is no reason why The Big Help Out can't be used as a way to engage volunteers in existing plans or projects your club is hosting.
The Big Help Out is celebrating King Charles III’s coronation and will take place on Monday 8th May. Events can be held on this day, or throughout the summer to suit your community.
A fundamental part of The Big Help Out is its accompanying app, powered by DoIT. This will allow volunteers to find events and activities based on their activities and interests, and sign up in one easy-to-use platform.
As event organisers, you will have access to information on who is signing up for your event through this platform. You can create an organisation account here.
Important - When signing up for the platform, please ensure that you identify your group as being part of Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland. You can do this when prompted by the question "Are you part of a larger organisation?" and selecting Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland.
For more information or support on The Big Help Out app, please consult these FAQ pages.
We have created a set of materials for Rotary clubs to utilise to promote their events.
You can download The Big Help Out app in the Google Play and Apple App Stores from 20th March. Simply set up an account, find the Rotary events near you and sign up!
For more information, please head to the The Big Help Out website.
Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland
Kinwarton Road, Alcester, Warwickshire B49 6PB